Remembering
by bluestargem
Summary: And from atop the red-roofed building, a boy with bright, emerald green eyes and short dark hair watches her...She remembers.


**Disclaimer: Don't own Spirited Away. Merely having fun.**

The girl gazes at the red building, its weather-beaten roof, its arching tunnel entrance. Something about it tugs at her, pulls at her, nudging and nagging. It was something, she knew, that was related to the fact that she and her family had stumbled upon this abandoned theme park two years ago and had come out, only to find that three days had passed during their seemingly brief exploration there. It was something related to the fact that when she came out she had in her lank, brown hair a beautiful, sparkling purple hair tie instead of her old brown one. Something related to the fact that when they drove away from that old building she felt a deep-seated, unexplained ache in her heart; an ache not dissimilar to the one that is gripping her now. The girl frowns and gently places her hand on its warm plaster wall. A distant memory hovers in front of her, soft and dream-like, and she lunges towards it. But it floats away from her grasp, like all the other times, and she sighs, and turns her attention back to the building.

A sudden compulsion grasps her and she enters the dark tunnel, a slight breeze whispering around her ankles. She enters its dark domain, feeling the darkness press against her, obscuring her sight and rousing a small, fluttering fear in the pit of her stomach, but she walks on. Often she has come here, to think and ponder, but never has she dared to enter the tunnel for fear of what lay ahead. Slowly, she walks, shivering as the breeze grows stronger, and suddenly, light fills the whole place. She starts, realising that she has entered a large chamber, empty and derelict, with some wooden benches leaning against thick, ornate poles. She remembers this place. She remembers coming to this place with her parents, clinging tightly to her mother's arm.

"_Do you hear that?" her mother asked suddenly. The three fell silent, straining their ears, listening-_

"_A train!" Chihiro exclaimed with surprise. Her mother laughed. "This place must be close to the train station"._

Hesitantly, the girl takes a step across the dusty, cracked floor. She takes another, then another, and tentatively makes her way across the room to the exit on the other side. Her heart beats faster, her breath grows shorter, her eyes are wide and eager, as she nears and she peers outside to see-

A large, green meadow with long, lush grass waving in the gentle breeze, the sweet smell of fresh grass perfuming the air. The field is dotted with small, grey statues and broken-down houses; a path winds through the long grass and a small town can be seen on the other side. She knows the town is filled with food shops; she knows that it is empty; and she knows that she should go there. Abandoning all caution, she runs along the path, scrambles across the dried up creek and clambers up the concrete steps, eager, longing to know, but to know what she does not know.

"_How strange," her mother whispered, staring at all the shops lining the street. "This place is full of food stores."_

"_But there's no-one here," Chihiro murmured, moving closer to her mother. She looked around, feeling her heart pumping faster in fear. For some reason, she found the place rather forbidding._

The girl advances. She does not feel the fear that had coursed through her two years ago; rather, she feels a burning curiosity. Distant smells of delicious food waft towards her. She ignores them however; she must not eat them or she would turn into a pig. All of a sudden, she stops in her tracks, frowning-

"_Dad! Let's go home! Dad! DAD!" Frightened and trembling, she shook her dad again, trying to ignore those shadowy black figures that were creeping towards her. "DAD!" she screamed again. And slowly her dad turned his head._

_The beady eyes of a pig gazed at her, food dripping from its snout. It stared blankly at her for a moment, before turning back to the mess of food and plates on the table, grunting and snorting. With a cry, Chihiro flung herself back, watching in horror at the pig in her dad's clothes continuing to gulp down food. A raw panic seized her; screaming, she ran, dodging the dark floating figures that were filling up the town. _I'm dreaming_, she thought frantically, as she ran blindly along the streets, _I'm dreaming_. And she fled._

The girl frowns harder, giving a slight shake of the head-

"_Don't be afraid. I'm here to help," a soft voice whispered gently._

She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, nostalgia overwhelming her-

"_And remember," the voice said. "I'm your friend"._

Gasping, the girl continues along the path, shaking away the fragmented memories, the nostalgia, the voice. She is trembling for some reason and her feet are moving at its own accord, carrying her up another set of concrete steps until she reaches a small bridge. It is wooden, with red railings and looks strong and sturdy. On the other side there is a large, ornate building; quite an anachronism with its wooden window frames and elaborate decorations. There is a steaming fountain on one side of it and a flag on the other bearing the word "Bath". The girl feels vague memories of it fluttering at the edge of her brain, stirring that unexplainable ache once more-

_Chihiro stared at the many-armed man pleadingly. But before she could say anything else, a voice called,"Dinnertime, Kamaji!" A tall, brown-haired girl of slender build came into view, dressed in a red uniform, holding a large basket. She reached inside and drew out a handful of brightly coloured candy, scattering them among the soot balls. She reached in the basket again, and then Chihiro caught her eye."Aaah!" she cried. "A human!"_

Caught in the torrent of memories, she slides down onto the floor, breathing hard-

_Two dirty brown pigs lay on the hay, breathing heavily. Chihiro stared at them in growing horror and felt a choking sorrow rise up in her-_

It felt as if the sorrow was welling up in her _now _–

"_Will we ever see each other again?" Chihiro asked anxiously, still clinging to his hand. The boy smiled. "Yes," he said and his green eyes glowed. "I promise."_

The girl opens her eyes. She gazes back at the building, her eyes wide with a sudden understanding. Still trembling, she stands. Her breath catches in her throat.

And from atop the red-roofed building, a boy with bright, emerald green eyes and short dark hair watches her. He watches. And he smiles. _She remembers._

**It's a little too rushed for my liking. Constructive criticism is very welcome. **


End file.
